Gbaibt-sepabatob



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

B. T. TRIMMER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW' YORK.

GRAIN-SEPARATOR.

l Specification of Letters Patent No. 27,171, dated February 14, 1860.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, B. T. TRIMMER, of Rochester, in the county of Monroeand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Grain- Separators; and I do hereby declare that the following is aJfull and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a vertical section of my improved machine; Fig. 2 ahorizontal section on the plane of the screen box or shoe; Fig. 3 is aplan of one of the screens detached.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

The nature of my invention will be understood from the description ofits construction and operation.

As representen in the drawings A A indicate the frame, B, is the fan, C,D, the blast tubes and E the shoe or shaker, containing the screens. Theblast created by the fan is driven up the tubes O D, with equal orunequal force as may be required, that point being regulated by theadjust-able terminating partition F. The blast tubes diverge at theirtermination in the first eX- panded division G, of the separatingapartment, at which point the grain is admitted through the spout a. Itimmediately cncounters the blast through C, carrying oft the oats andlighter grain, when it drops on the short incline and passes through thethroat c where it is subjected to blastbD, before reaching the screensf. At the termi nation of the blast tube D, a sliding partition u isintroduced separating division Gr from the great chamber H. Thispartition forms an important feature of the machine, as its positionregulates the separation of the light grain from the heavy. It' raisedto its greatest eXtreme it causes the current of air to ascend so highas to drop all the heavy kernels, while the very lightest only arecarried over, but if placed low the force of the combined blast of thetwo tubes will be sufficient to carry the greater part of the grain intodivision H. On the judicious regulation of this depends the success ofthe operation, especially the separating of oats Jfrom wheat. Its,position mustbe so arranged as to carry over all the oats and with themsome of the lighter grains of wheat into division H, where, from theblast being weakened by the enlarged area,

they fall, and are carried through a throat d on to the screens. Thevalve c serves to turn the course of the current downward and preventany good grain being carried into the last division I, where the chaffand dust are separated, the former dropping down by the passage z', thelatter escaping by` the mouth j. The heaviest and best portion of thegrain having passed directly through the blasts in division G, fallsreadily through the screen f on to the fine cockle screen g, whichcarries it ott' from the shoe by the passages 7L h through the twoblasts C D, till it discharges at 7c. The cockle which passes with thelighter grains through division H, and through the rear part of theseveral screens, is iinally separated by screen g, the meshes of whichallow .it to pass through, though fine enough to retain the Yheat. Itfalls on the inclined board Q and descends into the spout Z whichcarries it off at the side of the machine.

The screens consist of plates of zinc or other sheet metal perforated,the upper or larger screens with two sets of orifices, correspondingwith divisions G H of the blast chambers, the coarser portion, receivingthe grain which passes from division Gr, and that with smallerperforations, m, receiving the grain from division H. As this portioncontains the oats and light materials the screens allow the good grainto pass them but retain the oats the kernels of which are more bulky.The vibration of the screen with its slight inclinationtends t-o carrythem off, and is greatly aided in so doing by an under blast which istaken from tube D through the branch p the force of which is regulatedby opening more or less the valve r. The effect of this is that the airin finding egress through the' perforated screens gently raises the oatkernals and keeps them dancing lightly on the surtace until carried oiby the action of the screen. The hinged partition fu is adjustable tostrengthen or diminish the blast as it issues from the mouth y', andregulates the amount of refuse carried otf through that avenue. A seriesof shorter screens 'n is placed below the upper screens to eiectuallyprevent any bad grain or foreign substances from passing through anddescending with the perfectly cleaned grain.

The screen boX E, is suspended on four spiral springs indicated at r rin Fig. 2. Upon each side of the box is attached a slotted curved arm L,the curves being in opposite directions. A crank o from a spindles setvertically in the frame A, is connected with either arm by a bolt orset-screw passing through the slot. Another crank, t, from the samespindle on one side of the machine is connected by means of the pitman Nwith the crank wheel P, which is driven by a band from the fan shaft.This imparts a rocking motion to the spindle s which is conveyed to thescreen box by means of the crank 0 and segmental arm L. The motion givento the screen boX in this manner is curvilinear, the spindle s being thecenter, but the spindle s on the opposite side, being on a line with it,and the arm L being curved in the opposite direction produces on thescreen a compound circular or cymaform motion represented by the linean, on the drawing. This motion is very effective in distributing thegrain fully over the screening surface, and in preventing its clogging;and the device described admits of changing the direction of thevibratory waves of motion so as to bepmore or less lengthwise or acrossthe machine, the object being to adapt it to different kinds of grain,some of which require to be passed more rapidl off the screens, andothers longer retained. The more longitudinal the direction of themotion the faster the grain is passed over the surface, and vice versa.The change isV ef- Y fected by moving the cranks 0 in the slots in L,(which form a quarter circle) so as to be at right angles to, orlongitudinally with the screens. Intermediate positions produce a likeeffect and thus we obtain a most perfeet means of governing one of themost important processes in separating grains.

l/Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

l. lInducting the grain to the screens f m through the concentratedcurrents of two blasts, by the small throats a c of division Gr, and dof division H; the blast through a having an upward or convex, and thatthrough c a concave direction to the falling grain, substantially in themanner and for the purposes described.

2. I also claim the combination and arrangement of the perforated sheetmetal screens having a section of larger orifices f in communicationwith division G, and of smaller orifices m with division H, of thechamber of separation above,- substantially as and for the purposesdescribed.

3. I further claim the arrangement andv combination of the opposingsegmental arms L, crank o and spindles s s, with the screen box E, forgiving the described direction to the vibrations of the screens, andregulating the same, substantially as herein set forth.

B. T. TRIMMER. Vitnesses:

J. FRASER, S. J. ALLIs.

